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Using Patterns to Prepare for Medical Appointments

Clinicians can act on impact + pattern more than perfect detail. Your strongest story is your top symptoms, typical range (severity/frequency), and what life looks like on bad days.

Key Points:

Impact + pattern beats perfect daily notes.
Bring top symptoms, severity/frequency range, and real-life impact.
Add context only if it repeats (meeting stress, poor sleep, heat).

The “appointment-ready” pattern summary

Top 3 symptoms
How long it’s been happening (approx.)
Severity range (e.g., 4–8)
Frequency pattern (once/few/multiple/constant)
Impact (sleep, work, mood, relationships)

Patterns that are most useful to bring

It clusters (several bad days in a row)
It escalated (severity/frequency increased over time)
It connects to something (only if repeated)

Questions that pair well with your patterns

“Based on these patterns, what are the likely explanations?”
“What’s the first step you recommend - and how long should we try it?”
“What should improve if the plan is working?”
“What would require additional evaluation?”